Stat Tracker

April 2009

April 30, 2009

Try our new product free for 10 days. If you're not satisfied, return it for a full refund.Come to our open house. If you don't like what you hear, there's no obligation to stay.

We hear a lot of similar pitches and taglines in the media today. In fact, most of us are trained to ignore these messages. No matter how big and loud an infomercial announces, "But wait, there's more," we still don't swing our heads around to see what the next big offer is going to be.

That's why it's frustrating when local businesses in our small towns imitate the national advertisers. We have a unique infrastructure here - we have a much greater opportunity to influence word-of-mouth advertising, to build a recognizable brand, and to earn the trust of our local consumers. But only a handful of companies in the Twin Tiers appear on Facebook or Twitter, and several don't even have a website.

These days, an online presence is virtually free. Social media pages are a given, but blogs and simple websites are also next-to free. E-Bay lets users set up online stores, chipping off a small percentage of sales in exchange. Yahoo offers web-hosting packages with templates and content management tools for a minimal monthly charge. iContact.com will manage your email list and allow you to send newsletters to hundreds of customers at a time for about $8 / month.

The point is not to suggest that you lock your doors and only do business through the Internet. But you should make it easier for your fans to share their enthusiasm about your company. When a consumer hears of a positive experience from their peers rather than a radio ad, they're more likely to try your product.

When Pepsi issued their "Pepsi Challenge," they beat Coke in national taste-tests, but that doesn't mean everyone who tries Pepsi will be hooked. In fact, Coke is still the leader because they offer a better soft drink experience. Pepsi is sweeter, and will naturally be more appealing after a few sips, but that's not how people drink soda - they drink full cups and go back for refills, and generally prefer Coke.

The same is true for more complex products. A 10-day trial or an open house is not a true customer experience, it's just a taste-test. Try giving your current customers a better experience, and they'll be more likely to talk about it with their friends. Combine that with making it easier to spread the word by building your online presence for free, and see what happens to your future sales.

Sean
Lukasik is a Creative Agent / Marketing Professional in the
Elmira-Corning region of Upstate New York. He is President of Twin
Tiers Young Professionals and a consultant for Pipeline
4 Progress. Visit his website at www.SeanLukasik.com.

April 15, 2009

The Internet gets overwhelming at times, especially when you start talking about social media. Marketing meetings are drenched with discussions about Facebook and Twitter, and "what ever happened to MySpace?," and "should we create a YouTube channel?" The coolest guy at the table is the one who can name the site that no one else has heard about yet.

But don't get too far ahead of yourself. Understand what you're working with, how you can use it to your advantage, and whether there's a better tool out there for your business. Social media sites only work if enough people are using them, so the newest aren't necessarily the best until they gain enough momentum.

It's "going to be a cool new virtual world where you can meet friends, chat,
shop, play, watch videos, [...] and make money from your own
online store," according to a recent LinkedIn discussion. The site also offers "100 free shares, with no liabilities," just for creating an account.

In my opinion, its a scheme to collect as many email addresses as possible and sell them to spammers - the opposite of Seth Godin's "permission marketing" techniques. But even if it becomes a legitimate social media network, you won't be any worse off by joining later in the game.

Let the sites work themselves out - then let the marketing gurus figure out the advantages and disadvantages before you dive in.

The harm in jumping the gun? You might put a target on your back for potential spammers, or you might waste lots of time and stress on "the next big thing," only to find out it's the next big scam.

Sean
Lukasik is a Creative Agent / Marketing Professional in the
Elmira-Corning region of Upstate New York. He is President of Twin
Tiers Young Professionals and a consultant for Pipeline
4 Progress. Visit his website at www.SeanLukasik.com.

I've already started it, and I'm looking forward to all of the author's travel stories throughout, as I've already heard some wonderful reviews on how inspirational they are. Check back in a few weeks for my take.

Sean
Lukasik is a Creative Agent / Marketing Professional in the
Elmira-Corning region of Upstate New York. He is President of Twin
Tiers Young Professionals and a coordinator and consultant for Pipeline
4 Progress. Check out Sean's monthly column in Twin Tiers Business,
published by the Elmira Star Gazette.